Corner base cabinet construction



March 9, 1943. R. F. WHITE CORNER BASE CABINET CONSTRUCTION Filed Deo'. E, 1940 2 SheelZS-SheeI 1 March 9, .1943. R. F. WHITE .Y CORNER BASE CABINET CONSTRUCTION Filed Deo. 6, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. r9, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I CORNER BASE lCABINEI CONSTRUCTION 'anim-a r. white, salem, omo, manor to Muillnl Manufacturing Corporation, Salem, Ohio, a

corporation of New York I Application December 6, 1940, Serial No. 368,831

1 Claim. v(Cl. 313-142)v The invention relates to kitchen cabinet constructions, and more particularly to prefabricated kitchen cabinets designed to be installed as units to make up a completely modern kitchen. A

In a modern kitchen compactness is essential as well as appearance, and consequently maximum top working surface must be provided with maximum storage space. I-n arrangements of cabinet units which fit around a room corner, a corner base cabinet is used to provide top working surface in the corner, but since there is no front exposed surface of the corner cabinet through which access can be had to the storage space below the top of the corner cabinet, this storage space is ordinarily wasted.

In specially built kitchens, access to the corner storage space is frequently had through` the inside wall of one of the cabinets adjoining the corner cabinet, but in prefabricated cabinet units many and various sizes of base cabinets with both sides closed are required and numerous combinations of right and left hand cabinets 'fitting up to the corner cabinet are possible, so that it is impractical to provide base cabinets in all these sizes with one open side for matching anr open side of the corner cabinet.

Moreover, it is awkward and inconvenient to reach through the door of one cabinet a-nd through the side thereof into an adjoining cabinet, especially as articles stored in theone cabinet are usually in the way and must bemoved.

It is therefore a general object of the present` invention to provide, in an arrangement of prefabricated kitchen cabinet units, a novel corner base cabinet construction which gives maximum top working surface and accessible maximum storage space.

In a modern kitchen, wall cabinet units are located along the walls above the base cabinet units, and while the wall cabinet units are spaced above the base cabinet units to make the top surfaces of the latter available for working surface, still the Wall cabinet units must be located at a minimum height so as to be easily accessible by a woman of average height reaching over the base cabinet units.

A specific object of the present invention isy to provide a corner base cabinet having a novel and improved hingedtop wall requiring minimum clearance for swinging open, so as to clear wall cabinets'located an accessible distance above the corner base cabinet.

Another object is to provide a corner base cabinet having an improvedhinged top wall with no cabinet having a novel top wall hinged in such a way as to be partially counterbalanced when closed.

A still further object is to provide a corner base cabinet having an upwardly lifting top wall which swings clear of the adjoining cabinet and yet lies closely adjacent thereto along the lifting edge when closed.

And finally, it is an object of the present lnvention to provide a novel and improved corner base cabinet whlchembodies all of the foregoing objects in an extremely simple and inexpensive construction.

These and other objects are accomplished by the novel units, combinations and arrangements comprising the present invention which is shown by way of example in the .accompanying drawings, and which is hereinafter described and defined in the appended claim.

The invention may be stated in general terms as includinga corner base cabinet located between adjoining prefabricated cabinet units and having a top wall hinged on its under side at a position nearer its rear edge than its front exposed corner but spaced from and parallel to its rear edge, in such a way that the rear edge swings down `into the cabinet space when the top wall is opened, the front corner of said top wall overlapping the cabinet corner wall to provide a iinger grip lfor lifting said top wall.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modern kitchen containing a plurality of prefabricated wall and base cabinets arranged along two walls extending from a corner of the kitchen:

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view through the corner base cabinet shown in Fig. 1, as on line 2 2, Fig. 4;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view through the corner base cabinet and adjoining base cabinets, as on line 3 3, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view with parts broken away of the corner cabinet and adjoining base cabinets as on line 4 4, Fig. 2;

Fig.,5 is a fragmentary sectional view as on line 5,-5, Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view through one wall of the room showing the corner base cabinet The modern kitchen shown by way of `exf-y refer to' similar parts` ample in Fig. l has a plurality of base cabinets arranged along the adjoining walls 1 and 8 cf the room, anda plurality of wall cabinets spaced above the base cabinets a sufilcient distance to make the top surfaces of the base cabinets available for working space and yet having the 'wall cabinets easily accessible to a woman of average height standing on the door and reaching over the basev cabinets'. The corner wall cabinet 8 abuts wail cabinet units 8a and 8b on walls 1 and 8 respectively, and is provided with a door III extending diagonally across the corner` so as to gain access to the storage space within -the corner wall cabinet 9.

This type of door is not objectionable in a the base cabinets below thevwall cabinets causes the base cabinets to extend out into the room4 beyond the wall cabinets, and the door I of the corner wail cabinet accordingly does not interfere with the floor space. However, this type of door in a corner base cabinet would materially reduce the floor space in the kitchen especially when the door is swung open. Moreover, such a corner base cabinet construction would reduce the accessibility of the corner and adjacent wall cabinets.

The corner basel cabinet II is provided with a relatively narrow exposed beveled corner I2v so as to give maximum door space, and consequently the exposed corner surface I2 does not provide suflicient room for giving access to the storage space within the corner base cabinet II.

The corner base cabinet II abuts one side of an adjoining prefabricated base cabinet unit I3 on the wall 1, and abuts one side of. an adjoining prefabricated base cabinet unit Il on the wall 8 at right angles to the base cabinet I3.A The cabinet II is provided with a top which is coplanar with the tops of base cabinets I3 and I4 so as to provide maximum top working surface, and the present invention provides means for gaining access to the storage space within the corner cabinet I IV without reaching in through theV doors of either of cabinet units I3 and I4, which would require providing openings in the side walls of said cabinets matching openings in the adjoining side walls of the corner cabinet.

As shown in Fig. 3, the base cabinet units\l3 and I4 have rearwardly extending ange p0rtlons I5 and I5 abutting the room walls 1 and 8 respectively, the base cabinet I3 having a. side wall l1 abutting a side wall I8 of the corner base cabinet II, and the base cabinet Il having a side wall I9 abutting a side wall 20 ofthe corner base cabinet II at right angles to the side wall I8.

The corner base cabinet II is provided with rearwardly extending flange portions 2i similar to the flange portions I5 and I6 for abutting the side walls 'I and 8 respectively, and with rear walls 22 and 23 parallel to the side walls I8 and respectively and extending along the room walls 1 and 8 respectively.

The front corner portion I2 between the cabi. net walls I8 and 20 is exposed to the inside of.

Fig. 2 for abutting the room walls, and the top pieces 23 and 85 Yare coplanar with the tops of the adjoining base cabinets i3 and I4 and with the top of corner cabinet il so as to provide a continuous unobstructed tcp working surface.

Referring to Fig. 2, the cover or table top IIa for the corner cabinet I I is constructed to match the tops of the adjoining base cabinets, and preferably'includes a top working surface of linof leum or the like indicated at 28" supported on a horizontal sheet metal wall 28 having downward- 1y and inwardly extending flange portions 29 around its marginal edges. Channel shaped trim members 30 preferably fit over the flange portions 29 and are provided at their upper ends with inwardly extending securing flanges 3| for overlapping the marginal edges of the linoleum As shown in Fig. 2 the inwardly extending flanges or legs 32 at the lower ends of the trim members 30 are adapted to rest on the upper ends of the walls I8 and 28 of the corner base cabinet when the cover or table top is in closed position so that the top surfaces of the securing anges 3| of the trim members are coplanar with the top surfaces of top pieces 24 and 25, and with the top surfaces of similar trim'members on the adjoining base cabinets I3 and I4.

In order to provide for opening the table top cover Ila of the corner base cabinet Ii to gain access to the storage space within the cabinet, the table top cover is hinged at its under side on the cabinet to permit it to swing upwardly about an axis parallel to one of its rear walls. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a transverse vertical partition wall 33 is provided extending between the walls I8 and 22 parallel to walls 20 and 23 and having a horizontally extending bridge portion 34 at its top edge terminating in a downturned ange 35. As shown in Fig. 6, the vertical wall 33 extends downwardly a substantial ldistance and from its lower end a horizontal wall 36 extends rearwardly to the rear wall 23, forming a rectangular compartment extending between walls I8 and 22 and having an open end in the wall I8.

The wall 38 is spaced forwardly from rear wall 23 of corner base cabinet II, but is considerably nearer to said rear wall-23 than itis to wall 28 which has the exposed corner I2 at its front edge. 'l

Means for hinging the table top cover on the transverse wall 33 preferably includes spaced concealed hinges 31 secured at one end to the bridge portion 3l of transverse. wall 33 and at their other ends to channel brackets 38 secured to the horizontal wall 28 of the table top cover. As shown inFig. 2. angles 39 may be secured to the under side of the bridge portion 34 directly under the hinges 31, for reinforcing the bridge portion 3l at those points. Y

Referring to Fig. 5, the wall I2 of the exposed corner portion of corner cabinet II is bent inwardly at its upper end, as shown at 48 so that the beveled corner 4I of the table top cover IIa overlaps the same to provide a nger hold to permit raising the corner of the cover for lifting the same and swinging it about `the hinges 31 in the manner indicated in Fig. 6.

As shown in Fig. 6 the wall cabinet 8a is spaced above the top of corner base cabinet II an accessible distance which is less than the depth from front to rear of cabinet II, that is, from the exposed corner I2 to the rear wall 28. AccordinElY, if the cover lia were hinged at its rear edge, it would interfere with the wall cabinet 9 when swung open. By locating the hinges 31 at points spaced outwardly from the rear wall of the cabinet, the rear end I2 0f the cover swings down into the compartment formedby walls 33 and 36 and the front end I3 of the cover swings clear of the wall cabinet 9a as the cover is opened. The depth of thev compartment formed between transverse wall 33 and rear wall 23 Vis suiclent to allow the rear end 42 of the cover to swing through at least 90 downwardly vides for the front edge of the cover to swing i away from the wall I9 of adjoining cabinet unit Il immediately on itsI initialopening movement, 4so that the cover can nt closely to the cabinet i4 without interfering with the same when it is swung open. n

The improved construction and mounting ofthe cover Ila on the corner base cabinet Il is reaching in through the doors of adjoining cabinets; and the table top cover i I a has no exposed handles or hinges on its top surface so that it provides maximum unobstructed working surface.

Thus the invention provides a novel and irnproved corner base cabinet construction which can be used with lstandard prefabricated base cabinet units, and provides maximum top working surface with maximum storage space which is accessible without requiring specially constructed adjoining base cabinet units having open sides adjacent to the corner cabinet. Moreover, the novel corner base cabinet construction is accessible without impairing or interfering with the accessibility of wall cabinets located at a required minimum height above the `base cabinets.

I claim: f

A corner base cabinet for the corner of a room including two front side walls extending at right angles to each other from a cabinet front corner and two rear side walls parallel respectively to said front side walls, a partition wall in said cabinet parallel to one of said front walls and located nearer to the rear wall parallel thereto than to said front wall, a top cover on said cabinet. and concealed means hinging said top .cover on said partition wall. the rear edge oi said top cover being adapted to engage said partition wall for limiting opening movement of said top cover.

RICHARD F. WHITE. 

